BIOLOGY 

R 
G 


FAMILIAR  STUDIES  OF  WILD  BIRDS 


THE  FEMALE  PARKMAN's  WREN  RETURNING  TO  THE  .NEST.  CRAWLING 
UP  THE  JAGGED  TRUNK  SHE  WOULD  SLIP  BEHIND  THE  BARK  ONTO  HER 
NEST,  OFTEN  WITHOUT  A  PAUSE 


FAMILIAR  STUDIES 
OF   WILD   BIRDS 

THEIR   HAUNTS  AND   HABITS 


F.    N.   WHITMAN 

WITH   MANY   PHOTOGRAPHS   BY 
THE   AUTHOR 


BOSTON 

RICHARD   G.  BADGER 

THE  GORHAM  PRESS 


COPYRIGHT,  1920,  BY  RICHARD  G.  BADGER 
All  Rights  Reserved 


^  _ 


Made  in  the  United  States  of  America 
The  Gorham  Press,  Boston,  U.  S.  A. 


A  REMINDER 

THE  real  haven  of  the  naturalist  is  out 
in  the  fields  and  woods  of  the  country. 
But  for  those  city  people,  who  do  not 
find  the  country  within  their  immediate  reach, 
the  city  park  offers  a  great  deal  more  than 
may  be  thought,  in  the  way  of  material  for 
nature  study. 

On  an  early  spring  morning,  the  parks  of 
many  of  our  large  cities  literally  swarm  with 
migrating  birds.  A  wide  range  of  species,  to 
a  hundred,  or  even  more,  may  be  counted  on 
a  single  morning,  if  one  rises  early  and  is 
sharp-sighted.  The  observer  must  also  have 
a  fair  knowledge  of  the  commoner  species  of 
birds,  or  identify  them  by  means  of  field  glasses 
and  guide  book. 

Every  true  naturalist  or  bird  lover  counts 


453150 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

it  more  or  less  of  an  epoch  in  the  spring,  when 
certain  of  the  birds  first  appear.  For  instance, 
the  morning  when  he  first  sees  a  bluebird  car- 
ries a  certain  spring  token  which  is  cherished 
keenly.  Likewise  with  the  first  swallow, 
meadowlark,  etc.  Each  stirs  its  particular 
feeling  in  the  bird  lover  and  has  its  special 
meaning  to  him  in  the  consummation  of  spring. 
Whether  he  be  in  the  country  or  city,  the 
same  token  will  be  brought  to  him,  and  spring 
will  not  pass  without  imparting  its  message. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

A  FAMILY  OF  CEDAR  WAX- WINGS 13 

THE  BRONZED  GRACKLE 17 

BROAD-TAILED  HUMMING  BIRDS 20 

BREWER'S  BLACKBIRDS 29 

PARKMAN'S  WREN 33 

THE  COMMON  TERN 41 

YELLOW  WARBLERS 45 

A  FAMILY  OF  TREE-SWALLOWS 49 

THE  MOURNING  DOVE 53 

THE  GREAT  HORNED  OWL     .      .      .      .      .      .      .57 

A  KINGBIRD  FAMILY 65 

NOTES  FROM  THE  INDIANA  SAND  DUNES    ...  69 

PHOTOGRAPHING  BIRDS                                            .  82 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

THE   FEMALE   PARKMAN'S  WREN  RETURNING 

TO  NEST Frontispiece 

Between  Pages 

WAXWING    CARRYING    SEVERAL    BERRIES    IN 

THROAT 14-15 

WAXWING  ABOUT  TO  REGURGITATE  A  BERRY  .  14-15 

A  WAXWING  IN  A  GRACEFUL  POSE  ....  16-17 

A  WAXWING  FAMILY 16-17 

FIVE  YOUNG  WAXWINGS  SOON  AFTER  LEAVING 

THE  NEST 18-19 

WAXWINGS  AGAINST  THE  LIGHT      ....  18-19 

GRACKLE  HOMEWARD  BOUND  WITH  A  MORSEL  18-19 

A  MALE  BRONZED  GRACKLE  PICKING  UP  FOOD  18-19 

A  FEMALE  GRACKLE 20-21 

BRONZED  GRACKLE  SINGING       .     .      .      .      .  20-21 

THE  BROAD-TAILED  HUMMING-BIRD  ON  NEST  22-23 

THE  NEST  OF  A  BROAD-TAILED  HUMMING-BIRD  22-23 

HUMMING-BIRD  SHIELDING  THE  EGGS  .      .      .  26-27 

NEWLY  HATCHED  HUMMERS       .      .      .      .      .  26-27 

YOUNG  HUMMERS  ELEVEN  DAYS  OLD  .      .      .  28-29 

THE  MALE  BREWER  INSPECTING  THE  NEST  .  28-29 

FEMALE  BREWER  BLACK-BIRD 30-31 

BREWER  BLACK-BIRD  REMOVING  FOOD  FROM 

BILL  OF  YOUNG  .  .  30-31 


List  of  Illustrations 


Between  Pages 

FEMALE  PARKMAN'S  WREN  INVESTIGATING     ..,- 

NOISE        . 32-33 

BARK  REMOVED  TO  SHOW  INCUBATING  WREN  32-33 
THE  NEST   OF  THE  PARKMAN'S  WREN    WITH 

Six  EGGS  .      /    .      .:. 34-35 

THE  YOUNG  WRENS  SOON  AFTER  HATCHING  .  34-35 
A  CHARACTERISTIC  POSE  OF  THE   PARKMAN'S 

WREN   .      .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .  >     .  36-37 

TERN  AT  NEST      .     .      .     ...     .      .      .  36-37 

TERN  GRACEFULLY  FOLDING  ITS  WINGS     .      .  38-39 
A  TERN'S  NEST  AT  THE  EDGE  OF  SALT- WATER 

GRASS        ...      .      ,      .      :• '     .      .      .  38-39 

THE  TERNS'  NESTS  ARE  MERE  DEPRESSIONS  40-41 

TERN  POSED  TO  SHOW  THE  GRACEFUL  NECK  .  40-41 
A  YOUNG  TERN  AT  THE  STAGE  WHEN  THEY 

LEARN  TO  FLY    .     .     .      .     ...      .  42-43 

A  TERN'S  NEST  IN  THE  SEAWEED  WITH  EGGS  .  42-43 
YOUNG  TERNS  ARE  GOOD  EXAMPLES  OF  PRO- 
TECTIVE COLORING    .     .     .     .     .     .     .  44-45 

YOUNG  TERNS  SQUATTING  AMONG  THE  ROCKS  44-45 

TERN  SWIMMING  IN  THE  WATER    .     .     .     .  46-47 

TERNS  RESTING  AND  FLYING  ABOUT  ROCKS  .  46-47 

YELLOW  WARBLER  ENTERING  NEST    .     Y     .  48-49 
NEST  OF  WARBLER  ABOUT  Two  FEET  FROM  THE 

GROUND  48-49 


List    of   Illustrations 


Between  Pages 

YELLOW  WARBLER  ON  NEST 50-51 

YOUNG  WARBLERS  EIGHT  DAYS  OLD  .  .  .  50-51 

BUSH  WILLOWS  ALONG  A  WINDING  CREEK  .  .  52-53 

TREES  TO  WHICH  CAMERA  WAS  CLAMPED  .  52-53 

SWALLOW  RETURNING  TO  THE  NEST  .  .  .  54-55 
YOUNG  SWALLOW  WITHIN  HOLE  BEGGING  FOR 

FOOD 54-55 

YOUNG  SWALLOWS 56-57 

BACK  VIEW  OF  YOUNG  SWALLOWS  .  .  .  56-57 

SWALLOW  CLEANING  THE  NEST  58-59 

THREE  YOUNG  SWALLOWS  AND  AN  ADULT 

FLYING .  58-59 

MOURNING  DOVE  ON  NEST  ON  A  SLOPING  LOG  60-61 

MOURNING  DOVE'S  NEST  IN  THE  SHOOTS  .      .  60-61 

YOUNG  MOURNING  DOVE     .      .      .      .      .      .  62-63 

THE  GREAT  HORNED  OWL  LEAVING  ITS  NEST  62-63 

YOUNG  OWLS  ABOUT  TEN  DAYS  OLD        .      .  64-65 

YOUNG  HORNED  OWLS  ABOUT  Two  WTEEKS  OLD  64-65 

YOUNG  OWLS  AT  THREE  WEEKS    ....  66-67 

YOUNG  OWLS  AT  FOUR  WEEKS       ....  66-67 

KINGBIRD  THRUSTING  FOOD  DOWN  THROAT  OF 

HUNGRY  YOUNG 68-69 

KINGBIRD  FEEDING  YOUNG 68-69 

PARENT  KINGBIRD  THRUSTS  FOOD  DOWN 

FORCEFULLY   .  70-71 


9 


List  of  Illustrations 


Between  Pages 

AFTER  FEEDING  THE  YOUNG,  PARENT  KINGBIRD 

WIPES  ITS  BEAK 70-71 

KINGBIRD  READY  TO  LEAVE 72-73 

YOUNG  KINGBIRDS 72-73 

A  GOOD  PORTRAIT  OF  AN  ADULT  KINGBIRD  74-75 

THE  CATBIRD  .  .  .  . 74-75 

A  YOUNG  WOOD  THRUSH  JUST  AFTER  LEAVING 

THE  NEST       ...      .      .      .      .      .      .  78-79 

WESTERN  CHIPPING  SPARROW  ENTERING  NEST  80-81 
WESTERN  CHIPPING  SPARROW  SETTLING  ON 

NEST    .      .      ......      .      .      .  80-81 

NEST  OF  LEAST  FLYCATCHER     .      .      .      .      .  82-83 

LEAST  FLYCATCHER  SHOWING  FEATHERS  ON 

THE  HEAD       .      .     .     .     ...      .      .  82-83 

LEAST  FLYCATCHER  AT  NEST     ;  <  .      .      .      .  82-83 

YOUNG  MARSH  HAWKS   .      ...    '..'•'.•    .  82-83 

A  BROWN  THRASHER       .      ._  .      .     .     .      .  84-85 

THE  MAGPIE  84-85 


10 


FAMILIAR  STUDIES  OF  WILD  BIRDS 


FAMILIAR    STUDIES 
OF  WILD  BIRDS 


A  FAMILY  OF  CEDAR  WAX- WINGS 

(Ampelis  cedrorum) 

ON  a  tramp  in  the  country  early  in 
May  one  may  come  on  a  flock  of  pret- 
ty little  cedar  wax- wings,  engaged  in 
picking  the  buds  from  wayside  trees  and 
bushes.  An  incessant  chorus  of  low  plaintive 
notes  coming  from  several  hundred  of  these 
dainty  brown  birds  frequently  attracts  one's 
attention  before  he  has  noticed  the  flock.  Al- 
though rather  shy,  the  birds  may  be  ap- 
proached close  enough  to  distinguish  with 
the  naked  eye  the  delicate  shading  of  their 
soft  brown  feathers,  the  tapering  crests,  the 

13 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

yellow  band  terminating  the  tail,  and  the  small 
red  globular  structures  on  the  wings  (and 
very  rarely  on  the  tail) ,  from  which  this  species 
derives  its  name. 

Several  weeks  later,  these  migrating  flocks 
have  separated  into  pairs,  but  it  is  often 
well  along  in  the  season  before  the  birds 
build  their  nests,  for  the  berries  and  fruit  on 
which  the  young  thrive  ripen  late.  During 
the  summer  the  food  of  the  wax-wings  consists 
of  fruit,  cherries,  and  all  kinds  of  wild  berries. 
After  the  young  are  old  enough  to  be  left 
alone,  both  adults  go  off  together  in  their 
search  for  food,  often  making  trips  of  several 
miles.  Whether  in  the  air  or  at  rest,  they  have 
the  habit  of  uttering,  continually,  low  calls,  that 
are  expressive  of  companionability.  They 
are  seldom  absent  more  than  ten  or  fifteen 
minutes  at  a  time,  and  when  they  are  heard 
returning,  the  young  set  up  a  complementary 
chorus;  but  the  latter  always  remain  discreet- 


WAXWIKGS  CARRY  SEVERAL  BERRIES  IK  THEIR  THROATS  IX  ADDITIOX 
TO  ONE  OR  MORE  IK  THEIR  BEAKS.  OKE  BERRY  BEIKG  FED  TO  THE 
YOUKG,  AKOTHER  MIRACULOUSLY  APPEARS 


WTAXWING    ABOUT   TO    REGURGITATE    A    BERRY 


A  Family  of  Cedar  Wax-Wings 

ly  silent  while  the  old  birds  are  away.  Occa- 
sionally, mistaking  a  bird  that  flits  by  for  one 
of  their  parents,  the  young  start  begging  for 
food,  but  quickly  appreciate  their  mistake  and 
subside. 

The  old  wax-wings,  returning  from  forag- 
ing, usually  carry  several  berries  in  the  crop, 
in  addition  to  one  in  the  beak.  When  a  rasp- 
berry is  stuffed  down  a  gaping  beak,  behold, 
another  one  appears,  and  is  held  a  moment 
tentatively  before  being  fed  to  the  next  in 
turn  of  the  progeny.  No  amount  of  stuffing 
satisfies  the  hungry  youngsters,  which,  flap- 
ping their  wings,  beg  in  the  beseeching  way 
natural  to  young  birds. 

The  near  presence  of  an  unobtrusive  visitor 
does  not  deter  cedar  wax-wings  from  proceed- 
ing with  their  home  duties.  After  the  first 
day  which  was  necessarily  spent  gaining  the 
acquaintance  of  the  present  family,  many  sat- 
isfactory photographs  were  secured  without 


15 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

serious  difficulty.  The  old  birds  would  now 
and  then  fly  around  the  camera  to  inspect  this 
strange  instrument,  and  several  times  alighted 
on  it  without  fear.  At  other  times  they  sailed 
back  for  a  good  look  at  me,  where  I  lay  about 
twenty  feet  distant,  partly  concealed  in  the 
tall  grass,  with  thread  in  hand,  ready  to  release 
the  shutter. 

It  should  not  be  concluded  that  because 
cedar  wax-wings  are  relatively  tame  as  com- 
pared with  some  other  species  that  the  securing 
of  satisfactory  photographs  of  them  does  not 
involve  skill  and  perseverance.  As  anyone  who 
has  attempted  to  photograph  wild  birds 
knows,  there  are  many  factors  influencing  suc- 
cess, and  one  must  always  be  prepared  to  be 
patient,  and  spend  as  much  time  as  necessary 
in  gaining  the  confidence  of  his  subjects. 


16 


A    WAXWIXG    IX    A    GRACEFUL   POSE 


THE    WAXWIXG    FAMILY    MINUS    ONE    OF    THE    YOUNG,    WHICH    REFUSED 
TO  REMAIN    ON    THE    PERCH 


THE  BRONZED  GRACKLE 

(Quiscalus  quiscula  ceneus) 

THE  bronzed  grackles  are,  on  close 
acquaintance,  more  interesting  birds 
than  their  dull  plumage  and  unmusi- 
cal calls  might,  perhaps,  at  first  incline  the 
casual  observer  to  expect.  These  birds  and 
their  eastern  cousins,  the  purple  grackles, 
arrive  north  in  large  flocks  early  in  spring,  but 
they  generally  spend  several  weeks  enjoying 
themselves  in  idleness  before  settling  down  to 
the  serious  task  of  raising  a  family.  They  nest 
in  small  colonies,  frequently  near  water,  usual- 
ly placing  their  nests  high  in  trees;  but  the 
writer  has  also  found  them  in  bushes,  as  well 
as  slung  like  the  red-wings'  nests,  a  foot  or 
two  above  water. 

The  accompanying  photographs  were  taken 

17 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

at  a  nesting  site  near  a  small  lake,  many  of  the 
nests  being  scattered  on  small  islands,  where 
they  were  free  from  molestation.  As  the 
grackles  walked  along  the  water's  edge  with 
their  [peculiarly  ludicrous  strides,  they  pre- 
sented with  their  glassy  yellow  eyes  a  striking 
appearance.  Frequently  they  submerge  their 
entire  foreparts  in  efforts  to  secure  choice 
morsels,  and  on  certain  rare  occasions  I  have 
seen  them  dive  from  the  air  into  the  water  for 
shiners  as  do  terns,  rising  to  shake  the  mois- 
ture from  their  feathers  with  as  little  concern 
as  do  the  real  divers.  But  the  grackles  also 
obtain  much  of  their  food  in  the  underbrush 
and  on  the  meadows. 

The  males  sing  repeatedly  the  few  notes 
of  their  not  unpleasing  song,  accompanying 
this  with  the  ruffling  of  feathers  and  the 
spreading  of  tails,  and  they  often  follow  the 
females,  uttering  this  song,  which  is  appar- 
ently characteristic  of  the  mating  season. 


18 


THE    FIVE    YOUNG    WAXWINGS   SOON   AFTER   LEAVING   THE    NEST 


WAXWIXGS     AGAIXST     THE     LIGHT 


HOMEWARD    BOUXD    WITH    A    MORSEL  FOR   BABY   CRACKLES 


A  MALE  BRONZED  CRACKLE  PICKING  UP  FOOD  AT  THE  WATER'S  EDGE. 
HIS  WEDGE-SHAPED  TAIL  EASILY  DISTINGUISHES  HIM  FROM  THE  FE- 
MALE 


The  Bronzed  Grackle 


While  he  accompanies  his  mate  as  she  collects 
dry  grass  and  other  materials  for  her  nest,  the 
male,  without  lending  active  assistance,  ap- 
pears to  act  merely  the  role  of  protector,  be- 
ing coaxed  by  the  plaintive  little  calls  of  his 
partner  to  remain  near  at  hand.  Yet  later  he 
enters  strenuously  into  the  task  of  feeding  the 
young.  Being  very  active  the  female  soon 
has  her  nest  completed  and  entrusted  with  four 
or  five  brownish  spotted  eggs. 


19 


BROAD-TAILED  HUMMING  BIRDS 

( Selasphorus  platycercus ) 

STRAWBERRY  VALLEY,  at  an 
elevation  of  eight  thousand  feet,  is  situ- 
ated about  one  hundred  miles  east  of 
Salt  Lake  City.  An  artificial  lake  five  or  six 
miles  long,  covering  the  greater  part  of  the 
valley,  serves  as  a  reservoir  for  irrigation  be- 
low in  Utah  Valley.  The  region  has  re- 
cently been  made  a  bird  reservation,  and  the 
lake  is  now  the  home  of  many  ducks  and  shore 
birds,  while  back  in  the  timber  on  the  hills 
bordering  the  valley,  song  birds  of  all  kinds 
thrive  in  abundance. 

In  this  region  so  interesting  to  the  bird  stu- 
dent, humming  birds  are  conspicuous,  both  by 
their  numbers  and  their  loud  metallic  buzzing, 
which  pervades  all  the  small  canons  and  imme- 

20 


THE    FEMALE    CRACKLE    IS    SLIGHTLY    SMALLER    AND    LACKS    THE    WEDGE- 
SHAPED    TAIL    OF    THE    MALE 


BRONZED  GRACKLE  SINGING.  THE  FEW  NOTES  OF  THE  SONG  ARE  AC- 
COMPANIED BY  THE  RUFFLING  OF  THE  FEATHERS  ON  THE  BACK,  AND 
A  SLIGHT  SPREADING  OF  THE  WINGS 


Broad-Tailed  Humming  Birds 

diately  arrests  attention.  Along  the  willow- 
bordered  creeks  that  extend  up  every  canon 
the  broad-tailed  humming  birds  gather  in  full 
force.  The  sound  of  their  buzzing  often 
swells  to  a  volume,  that  one  would  not  believe 
any  number  of  such  wee  birds  capable  of  pro- 
ducing, unless  one  had  heard  it.  As  a  bird 
shoots  up  or  down  the  creek  bed,  the  buzzing  of 
its  wings  swells  and  sinks  in  a  rhythmic  beat, 
a  beat,  perhaps,  to  the  second,  which  may  be 
heard  for  some  distance,  getting  louder  as  the 
bird  approaches,  and  then  gradually  dying 
down  as  it  continues  up  or  down  the  canon. 
This  loud  buzzing  is  an  interesting  habit  of  the 
hummers,  being  very  expressive  of  their  ex- 
uberance of  spirits;  for  they  seem  to  be  ever 
revelling  in  the  joy  of  living.  Lacking  a 
song,  their  special  appeal  lies  in  their  dainty 
smallness,  vivaciousness,  and  an  overflowing 
exuberance  of  nature. 

About  the  twentieth  of  June,  the  nesting 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

season  of  the  hummers  starts  in  full  earnest. 
Of  the  six  nests  I  found  in  the  valley,  four 
were  less  than  three  feet  from  the  ground  on 
pine  boughs,  one  about  six  feet  up,  and  one 
twenty  feet  up  on  the  dead  limb  of  an  ash  tree. 
Two  of  these  nests  were  found  about  half  com- 
pleted on  June  19th,  which  appears  to  be 
about  the  beginning  of  the  nesting  season. 
Two  other  nests  were  found  soon  after  this, 
partly  completed,  so  that  it  seems  that  all  the 
birds  start  nesting  at  nearly  the  same  time. 
The  willow  down  of  which  the  nests  are  con- 
structed is  available  about  the  middle  of  June. 
It  is  a  cotton-like  substance  shed  after  the  wil- 
lows have  flowered,  which  readily  sticks  to  a 
rough  bark  surface.  The  beginning  of  the 
nest  is  as  ethereal  as  a  spider  web,  and  it  is 
built  up  very  gradually,  the  bird  sitting  on  the 
bough  and  twisting  and  turning  as  she  models 
the  delicate  architecture  of  her  home.  Com- 
pleted, it  is  the  supreme  example  of  bird  skill 


THE    BROAD-TAILED    HUMMING-BIRD    ON    NEST 


THE    NEST   OF   THE    BROAD-TAILED    HUMMING-BIRD   IN    A    BALSAM.       IT    IS 
SECURED    ON    A    BRANCH,    AND    ALSO    STRENGTHENED    WITH    SPIDER-WEB 


Broad-Tailed  Humming  Birds 

in  nest  making.  One  of  the  birds  observed  at 
work  would  vanish  and  reappear  with  more 
down,  often  within  three  or  four  seconds.  On 
the  outside,  the  nest  is  strengthened  by  the 
interweaving  of  small  particles  of  bark.  It 
may  be  mentioned  that  one  nest  was  found  by 
following  a  hummer  that  was  observed  col- 
lecting bark  from  a  dead  ash  tree. 

Within  three  days,  the  female  with  no  help 
from  the  male  has  completed  her  nest.  Either 
on  the  third  or  fourth  day  after  starting  to 
build,  she  lays  the  first  of  her  two  translucent 
white  eggs  which  are  about  the  size  of  a  com- 
mon bean;  and  begins  sitting  at  once.  The 
following  day  the  second  egg  is  laid,  and  then 
for  fifteen  long  days,  one  would  suppose  ex- 
ceedingly long  to  such  a  restless  little  mite, 
she  incubates  her  treasures.  It  is  to  be  re- 
marked, however,  that  she  does  not  remain  on 
the  nest  as  continuously  as  do  many  other 
birds,  but  leaves  frequently  during  the  day  to 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

seek  food,  though  she  is  absent  but  a  few  sec- 
onds at  a  time.  This  habit  may  be  due  to 
the  bird's  restlessly  active  nature.  Because  of 
the  small  size  of  the  eggs,  also,  she  can  leave 
them  exposed  for  only  short  intervals  or  they 
would  become  chilled.  Toward  the  end  of 
the  incubation  period,  the  eggs  turn  from  their 
original  translucent  whiteness  to  a  dark  shade, 
the  air  sac  now  filling  one  third  of  the  space. 
After  trying  for  fifteen  days  to  imagine  the 
appearance  of  the  bird  that  would  come  out  of 
so  small  an  egg,  I  was  considerably  surprised, 
to  say  the  least,  when  a  newly  hatched  hummer 
was  finally  disclosed  to  view.  The  young 
humming  bird  is  black  with  a  few  yellow  hairs 
sticking  up  from  the  center  of  its  back.  Its 
eyes,  of  course,  are  closed,  and  its  bill  instead 
of  being  long  and  slender  like  the  adults',  is 
of  the  short  and  stubby  shape  of  a  sparrow's. 
The  respiration  is  very  rapid,  perhaps  three 
hundred  to  the  minute.  The  development  of 


Broad-Tailed  Humming  Birds 

the  young  birds  is  very  interesting.  It  is  sev- 
eral days  before  pin-feathers  appear,  and  the 
bill  lengthens  very  slowly.  At  the  age  of 
twelve  days,  the  eyes  are  opened  now  and  then 
for  a  few  seconds  only,  being  as  yet  very  weak. 
About  this  time,  when  young  yellow  warblers 
would  already  have  left  the  nest,  the  hummers 
are  still  in  the  pin-feather  stage,  and  the  bill 
has  become  about  half  adult  length.  Not  un- 
til they  are  nearly  three  weeks  old,  do  the 
young  begin  to  look  like  real  humming  birds. 
Although  my  observations  did  not  continue 
until  the  young  left  the  nest,  I  judge  from 
their  rate  of  growth,  that  their  bills  do  not  be- 
come adult  length  at  much  less  than  four 
weeks  from  the  time  of  hatching. 

The  entire  work  of  building  the  nest,  incu- 
bating, and  raising  the  young  falls  on  the  in- 
dustrious little  female.  Never  once  did  I  see 
a  male  around  any  of  the  nests  visited.  The 
mother  hummer  frequently  feeds  her  offspring 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

while  hovering  at  the  edge  of  the  nest,  or 
again  she  may  alight,  and  with  quick  dabs  of 
her  beak  thrust  food  into  the  throats  of  her 
progeny.  The  diet  of  humming  birds  regu- 
larly consists  of  honey  and  insects  gathered 
from  flowers,  but  they  are  also  very  fond  of 
sap.  At  a  place  on  one  of  the  roads  where 
vehicles  had  scraped  bark  from  some  bush-wil- 
lows causing  sap  to  flow,  I  found  numerous 
hummers  gathered  to  drink  as  it  collected. 

Among  the  many  interesting  characteristics 
of  the  broad-tailed  humming  birds,  a  habit  that 
I  witnessed  frequently  was  that  of  darting 
perpendicularly  upward  to  a  height  of  fifty 
or  one  hundred  feet,  and  then  shooting  down 
at  great  speed,  producing  a  loud  buzzing 
which  reached  a  climax  as  the  bird  swerved 
when  five  or  six  feet  from  the  ground.  As 
far  as  could  be  observed,  this  performance  was 
indulged  in  for  the  benefit  of  another  hummer. 
Its  purpose  I  was  unable  to  discover,  if  it  had 


HUMMIXG-BIRD   SHIELDING    THE    EGGS   FROM   THE    SUN 


THE    XEWLY    HATCHED    HUMMERS    ARE    BLACKISH,    WITH    A    FEW 
YELLOW    HAIRS    ON    THE    BACK,    AND    HAVE    SHORT   STUBBY    BEAKS 


Broad-Tailed  Humming  Birds 

one  other  than  that  of  venting  a  burst  of  ex- 
uberant spirits.  Exuberance  is  one  of  the 
most  applicable  adjectives  in  describing  these 
winged  bullets,  as  in  their  every  action  appears 
an  overflowing  of  energy  and  vitality.  Each 
movement  is  so  lightning-like  in  quickness,  and 
the  bird  has  such  remarkable  control  of  itself, 
that  the  longer  one  watches,  the  more  one 
marvels.  What  other  bird  can  fly  forward  or 
backward  with  equal  ease,  or  rise  in  a  vertical 
line  as  if  shot  upward  from  a  gun?  It  starts 
and  stops  so  quickly  that  it  swings  forward  or 
backward  as  if  it  were  a  pendulum.  One  won- 
ders whether  any  bird  can  fly  so  fast,  and  cer- 
tainly none  can  attain  momentum  so  quickly. 
Hummers  are  very  sensitive,  and  when 
watched  they  grow  agitated  and  fretful,  leav- 
ing the  nest  repeatedly.  Their  low  peeping 
expresses  much  annoyance  as  they  dart  nerv- 
ously here  and  there.  They  will  spend  con- 
siderable time  inspecting  a  camera  that  is 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

placed  near  the  nest,  hovering  around  to  ob- 
serve it  from  every  angle.  Apparently  the 
hummer  has  a  bump  of  curiosity,  for  when  you 
meet  one,  it  usually  spends  some  time  osten- 
sibly seeking  honey  from  the  flowers  nearest 
you,  while  actually  it  is  regarding  you  very 
attentively.  They  have  no  song,  but  their 
peeping  notes  are  very  expressive,  being  now 
low  and  contented  as  when  searching  the 
flowers,  or  again  louder  and  complaining, 
when  they  are  intruded  on.  Occasionally  a 
hummer  takes  a  perch  on  the  tiptop  of  a  tree, 
sitting  there  with  the  majesty  of  a  king.  Ap- 
parently they  are  not  molested  by  other  birds, 
doubtless  for  the  good  reason  that  they  are 
courageous  little  fighters.  I  have  seen  a  hum- 
mer chase  a  bird  as  large  as  a  woodthrush 
in  a  way  to  leave  no  doubt  of  the  former's 
supremacy. 


YOUNG    HUMMERS    ELEVEN    DAYS    OLD!    PIN-FEATHER    STAGE 


THE      MALE     BREWER     INSPECTING     THE      NEST 


BREWER'S  BLACKBIRDS 

(Scolecophagus  cyanocephalus) 

BREWER'S  BLACKBIRDS  nest  in 
good  numbers  in  Strawberry  Valley  in 
the  Wasatch  Mountains.  The  male 
Brewer  is  a  shiny  black,  with  a  purplish  sheen 
on  the  head ;  the  female  brownish,  more  or  less 
streaked.  The  calls  and  song  of  this  species 
resemble  those  of  the  bronzed  grackles,  though 
lower  and  less  forceful.  While  the  male 
Brewer  does  not  have  the  wedge-shaped  tail 
and  the  female  grackle  is  darker,  in  other  re- 
spects, including  their  habits,  the  two  species 
are  much  alike. 

As  I  was  walking  around  the  south  end  of 
Strawberry  Valley  one  afternoon  early  in 
June,  I  noticed  a  number  of  Brewer's  black- 
birds near  the  shore.  As  I  approached,  they 

29 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

let  me  know  with  unmistakable  vehemence 
that  I  was  trespassing.  From  a  good  view- 
point on  a  knoll,  I  had  soon  located  a  nest  in 
the  sagebrush.  Later  I  found  several  of  their 
nests  tucked  low  down  among  the  thickly 
growing  willows  along  a  near-by  creek.  The 
nest  in  the  sagebrush  proved  to  have  five 
young  about  four  days  old,  and,  setting  up 
the  camera,  I  prepared  to  spend  the  afternoon 
there.  My  presence  ten  yards  from  their  nest 
was  too  close  to  suit  the  much  disturbed  birds. 
For  an  hour  or  so,  they  circled  round  me, 
scolding  vociferously.  But  finally  the  male 
got  up  courage  to  approach  and  feed  the 
young,  and  during  the  afternoon  he  fed  them 
several  times,  while  his  shyer  mate  remained 
around  complaining,  without  making  a  single 
trip  away  or  visiting  the  nest.  She  did,  how- 
ever, dart  up  constantly  after  flies  until  she 
had  gathered  such  a  billful,  that  it  was  a  puz- 
zle, indeed,  to  see  how  she  could  hold  those  in 


30 


THE     FEMALE     BREWER    BLACKBIRD,    WITH    A    BILL    FULL    OF    FLIES, 
OBSERVING     THE     YOUNG     ATTENTIVELY     BEFORE     FEEDING     THEM 


IF  THE  FOOD  THRUST  INTO  THE  BEAK  OF  A  YOUNG  BIRD  IS  NOT 
SWALLOWED  IMMEDIATELY,  IT  IS  REMOVED  AND  OFFERED  TO  AN- 
OTHER 


Brewer's  Blackbirds 


her  bill  while  catching  others,  and  at  the  same 
time  continue  to  scold.  At  last,  late  in  the 
afternoon,  she  made  one  hasty  visit  to  the  nest 
and  disposed  of  her  accumulated  supplies.  In 
removing  the  excreta,  the  male  was  once  or 
twice  observed  to  light  on  a  distant  perch, 
there  drop  his  burden,  and  carefully  wipe  his 
beak. 

I  made  these  birds  another  call  the  following 
morning,  and  by  noon  both  were  sufficiently 
accustomed  to  the  camera  to  come  and  go  with 
little  hesitation.  They  seemed  to  find  an 
abundance  of  food  down  by  the  creek,  but 
often  searched  for  grubs  and  insects  in  the 
sagebrush  near  by,  and  also  made  an  occa- 
sional long  trip  over  the  hills.  The  food  se- 
cured in  different  places  no  doubt  met  the  need 
of  a  varied  diet.  The  male  was  the  really 
industrious  one  of  the  two,  probably  because 
my  presence  disturbed  him  less.  Sailing  down 
to  the  creek  on  gracefully  curved  pinions,  he 

31 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

was  always  back  within  two  or  three  minutes 
with  a  white  grub  or  worm,  which  he  sometimes 
thrust  into  all  five  gaping  mouths,  until  he 
found  a  recipient  hungry  enough  to  swallow  it 
immediately. 

I  always  attempted  to  change  films  while 
the  birds  were  away,  but  being  still  distrustful 
of  me  they  would  often  hurry  back  prema- 
turely. If  they  found  me  quietly  seated,  after 
circling  around,  they  would  leave ;  but  if  they 
caught  me  in  the  act  a  disturbance  ensued. 
Neighboring  birds  joined  in  and  all  voiced 
loudly  their  fears  of  an  impending  calamity. 

After  young  Brewers  leave  the  nest,  they 
follow  the  adults  around  for  weeks.  It  is  a 
curious  sight  to  watch  these  overgrown  young- 
sters begging  as  they  trail  at  an  awkward  gait 
after  their  parents,  which  striding  proudly  on, 
reward  the  young  occasionally  with  a  worm 
or  an  insect. 


WHEN  THE  TREE    WAS  SCRAPED  WITH  A  LONG  STICK  THE   WREN   WOULD 
HOP   OUT  TO   SEE    WHAT  WAS   UP 


THE    BARK   REMOVED   TO   SHOW   THE   INCUBATING   WREN 


PARKMANS  WREN 

(Salpinctes  obsoletus) 

UP  in  the  Wasatch  Mountains  of 
Northern  Utah,  an  interesting  little 
bird,  the  rock  wren,  makes  its  summer 
home.  During  one  season  spent  in  studying 
the  birds  of  this  region,  I  was  fortunate 
enough  to  become  well  acquainted  with  this 
sociable  little  member  of  the  wren  tribe,  for 
which  I  developed  a  friendship  that  gave  me 
much  pleasure.  I  discovered  seven  or  eight 
of  their  nests,  and  my  observations  of  their 
home  life  included  many  instructive  glimpses 
of  social  relations  among  the  birds  that  af- 
forded a  rare  insight,  indeed,  into  bird  nature. 
The  rock  wren  starts  nesting  early  in  June. 
The  nests  are  frequently  located  behind  the 
shaggy  bark  of  ash  trees,  but  in  some  cases 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

the  old  holes  of  sap  suckers  are  selected  as  nest- 
ing sites.  Their  nests  are  usually  to  be  de- 
tected by  a  bunch  of  twigs  sticking  out  from 
behind  the  bark,  where  they  are  situated. 
Also,  if  one  passes  within  four  or  five  feet  of 
the  tree  the  female  generally  slips  out,  thus 
disclosing  her  secret,  if  it  has  not  already  been 
revealed  by  the  protruding  twigs.  The  twigs 
forming  the  foundation  of  the  nest  are  as  large 
as  one  would  expect  so  small  a  bird  to  be  able 
to  lift.  The  nest  lining  is  composed  largely  of 
hair,  feathers,  fine  grasses,  particles  of  bark, 
with  sometimes  a  little  wool  and  willow  down 
included.  In  one  instance,  I  found  a  piece  of 
cast-off  snake  skin.  The  crested  fly-catcher 
has  the  habit  of  regularly  placing  an  old 
snake  skin  in  its  nest,  but  with  the  rock 
wren  this  cannot  be  a  universal  trait,  as  only  in 
a  single  instance  was  this  material  found. 

These  small  wrens  courageously  undertake 
a  load  that,  without  knowing  of  their  active, 


THE  NEST  OF  THE  PARKMAN's  WREN  WITH  ITS  COMPLIMENT  OF  SIX 
EGGS.  THE  NESTS  ARE  EASILY  DISCOVERED  BY  THE  TWIGS  STICKING  OUT 
THE  NEST  OF  THE  PARKMAN's  WREN  WITH  ITS  COMPLEMENT  OF  SIX 


THE    YOUNG   WRENS   SOON   AFTER    HATCHING 


Parkmans  Wren 


business-like  nature,  one  would  believe  would 
weigh  heavily  on  them.  Their  eggs,  at  least 
six  in  number,  are  white,  spotted  with  brown. 
The  male  is  in  every  way  an  exemplary  hus- 
band. From  a  perch  nearby  he  cheers  his  sit- 
ting mate  with  frequent  melodious  songs,  and 
occasionally  brings  food  to  her.  At  one  wren 
home  where  I  was  a  frequent  visitor,  the  male, 
though  according  to  wren  custom  he  did  not 
take  part  in  incubating,  yet  felt  great  respon- 
sibility in  regard  to  seeing  that  the  eggs  were 
well  cared  for.  The  female  quickly  grew  ac- 
customed to  me  and  the  camera,  so  that  with 
the  latter  placed  two  feet  from  the  entrance  to 
her  home  she  would  return  to  her  duties  with- 
out hesitation.  Her  movements  were  so  ac- 
tive, however,  that  securing  the  desired  poses 
of  her  proved  difficult.  For  this  purpose  I 
employed  the  stratagem  of  scraping  the  tree 
with  a  long  stick,  which  would  cause  her  to  hop 
out  to  see  what  was  up,  without  alarming  or 


35 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

driving  her  away.  After  having  been  dis- 
turbed a  good  many  times,  however,  she  would 
grow  tired  of  this  game  and  leave.  Almost 
immediately  the  male  would  appear,  pouring 
forth  one  of  his  harmonious  strains.  Before 
he  had  repeated  it  many  times,  his  conscience- 
stricken  mate  would  usually  come  hopping 
submissively  back,  take  a  few  sly  peeps  at  me, 
and  resume  her  duties  of  incubation.  Once 
or  twice  when  her  patience  was  tried  to  the 
extreme,  causing  her  to  remain  absent  unusu- 
ally long,  the  male  became  particularly  agi- 
tated, and  attempted  to  drive  his  reluctant 
mate  back  by  darting  at  her,  while  continuing 
at  the  same  time  to  sing  in  a  beseeching  strain. 
She  was  not  long  in  obeying,  and  then  with  a 
few  final  notes  of  music  as  if  to  impress  on 
her  the  urgency  of  staying  at  home,  he  de- 
parted. Any  description  of  a  bird's  song  is 
unsatisfactory,  but  it  may  be  mentioned  that 
the  song  of  the  rock  wren  begins  somewhat 

36 


A    CHARACTERISTIC    POSE    OF    A   PARKMA^'s   WREN 


TERN     AT     NEST.       ON     ALIGHTING,     THEIR     WINGS     ARE     HELD     EX- 
TENDED   FOR    A    MOMENT 


Parkmans  Wren 


like  that  of  the  song  sparrow,  runs  along  in  a 
peculiarly  sweet  strain,  with  a  line  or  two  of 
chatter  occasionally  inserted,  ending  with  a 
drop  in  the  scale,  expressive  of  "I  told  you  so." 
When  I  removed  the  bark  in  order  to  photo- 
graph the  eggs  as  well  as  the  sitting  bird,  she 
hopped  nervously  around  inspecting  the 
changed  aspect  of  her  home,  crawling  repeat- 
edly behind  the  slab  of  bark  (which  was  merely 
swung  to  one  side) ,  as  if  expecting  to  find  her 
nest  behind  it  as  before.  She  plainly  could 
not  understand  what  had  happened,  and  when 
she  finally  hopped  into  her  now  exposed  nest, 
not  finding  the  situation  to  her  liking,  she 
twisted  around  so  vigorously  that  she  shoved 
four  of  the  six  eggs  out  onto  the  ground,  two 
of  them  breaking.  None  of  the  set  hatched, 
probably  because  I  had  unfortunately  exposed 
them  too  long  to  the  sun.  The  female,  urged 
without  doubt  by  her  persistent  mate,  contin- 
ued to  sit,  to  my  knowledge,  for  more  than 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

three  weeks,  and  was  still  on  the  nest  the  last 
time  I  saw  her. 

While  the  male  above  referred  to  was  so 
conscientious,  inspiring  such  confidence  a«nd 
obedience  in  his  mate,  he  was  more  wary  than 
she  of  the  camera.  On  one  occasion,  bringing 
a  choice  morsel  for  her,  he  sat  at  a  distance 
and  sang  enticingly,  too  shy  to  approach,  until 
she,  unable  longer  to  restrain  herself,  started  to 
go  to  him;  but,  changing  her  mind,  she  hopped 
back.  Another  pair  of  wrens  more  cautious 
than  these,  would  crawl  up  the  opposite  side  of 
the  tree,  peeping  out  at  me  from  behind  it, 
then  inspect  several  other  holes  before  even- 
tually entering  their  own. 

When  the  young  hatch,  the  male  turns  his 
attention  from  singing  to  the  more  important 
task  of  feeding  the  family.  Unless  familiar 
with  their  visitor,  the  wrens  are  very  wary  of 
approaching  the  nest.  I  found  it  necessary 
to  conceal  myself  in  the  bushes  when  I  wished 


TERN     GRACEFULLY    FOLDING    ITS     WINGS 


A    TERN'S    NEST    AT   THE    EDGE    OF    SALT-WATER    GRASS 


Parkmans  Wren 


to  observe,  without  disturbing  a  certain  pair  of 
birds.  The  female  brooded  the  young  almost 
continually  the  first  two  days,  the  male  being 
busily  engaged  bringing  food.  Sticking  his 
head  into  the  nest  hole,  he  handed  the  supplies 
over  to  his  mate,  and  quickly  departed,  being 
at  great  pains  to  be  inconspicuous.  Later, 
both  wrens  were  continually  on  the  go  in  the 
effort  to  satisfy  their  hungry  family  of  six. 
In  meeting  as  they  passed  to  and  fro,  they 
shook  their  wings  in  a  comradely  way,  pecu- 
liarly expressive  of  a  mutual  understanding 
of  the  important  and  serious  task  they  had 
before  them.  When  the  young  were  six  or 
seven  days  old,  they  began  giving  voice  to  their 
hunger  by  peeping  vigorously,  though  not  so 
persistently  as  young  sapsuckers,  for  they  sub- 
sided after  being  fed  until  another  meal  was 
forthcoming. 

One  nest  I  knew  of  was  used  by  the  parents 
for    sleeping  quarters   after  the  young  had 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

flown,  for  one  morning  as  I  passed  just  before 
sunrise  I  saw  the  pair  sitting  together  in  the 
early  dawn  in  the  entrance  of  their  hole,  evi- 
dently waiting  for  more  light  before  venturing 
out.  In  the  fall  when  the  young  are  well  de- 
veloped, the  wrens  wander  around  in  small 
groups.  It  is  truly  a  treat  to  have  such  bright- 
eyed,  lively  little  visitors  come  around  one's 
camp,  chipping  companionably  as  they  flit 
actively  from  branch  to  branch,  even  though 
they  stop  but  a  few  moments  in  passing.  It 
is  during  the  nesting  season,  however,  that  the 
males  indulge  in  their  real  powers  of  song, 
and  once  having  heard  one  peal  forth  his  melo- 
dies, answered  occasionally  by  appreciative 
chirps  from  his  mate  on  the  nest,  one  cannot 
soon  forget  this  friendly  rock  wren. 


40 


THE  TERNS'  NESTS  ARE  MERE  DEPRESSIONS  IN  THE  SAND,  SOME- 
TIMES LINED  WITH  A  FEW  GRASSES;  OR  THEY  MAY  BE  PLACED  ON 
SEAWEED,  OR  OCCASIONALLY  BACK  IN  THE  COARSE  ISLAND  GRASS 


XOTE    THE    GRACEFUL   NECK    OF  THE    TERX 


THE  COMMON  TERN 

(Sterna  hirundo) 

THE  common  tern  is  one  of  the  most 
graceful  birds  that  adorn  our  coasts. 
At  one  time  it  was  fast  going  in  the 
path  of  the  passenger  pigeon  and  trumpeter 
swan,  but  thanks  to  timely  laws  for  its  protec- 
tion, it  is  now  steadily  increasing  in  numbers. 
The  terns  congregate  at  their  favorite  nesting 
sites,  certain  small  islands  along  the  coast,  and 
a  few  isolated  interior  points,  about  the  middle 
of  June,  the  nesting  season  extending  thence 
to  the  middle  of  August. 

Numerous  visits  I  made  to  one  of  these  sites, 
known  as  the  Wee  Pecket  Islands,  in  Buz- 
zards Bay,  furnished  many  captivating  hours 
spent  in  observing  the  active  colony  life  of  the 
terns.  As  one  approached  the  island,  the 

41 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

terns,  rising  in  swarms  from  the  beach  and 
outlying  rocks,  hovered  overhead,  their  pro- 
testing voices  swelling  to  a  volume  that  could 
be  heard  far  off.  Their  nests,  simply  depres- 
sions in  the  sand,  sometimes  lined  with  grass  or 
seaweed,  are  placed  along  the  beach  above  high- 
water  mark,  a  few  also  being  scattered  inland ; 
and  so  thickly  are  they  strewn  at  points,  that 
it  is  necessary  to  walk  with  care  to  avoid  tread- 
ing on  the  eggs  or  young.  Two,  three,  or 
rarely  four,  profusely  spotted  eggs  are 
laid.  For  a  few  days  the  adults  brood  the 
newly  hatched  young,  shielding  them  during 
the  day  from  the  hot  rays  of  the  sun.  There- 
after the  young  terns  wander  about,  seeking 
the  shade  of  rocks  during  midday.  As  one 
walks  along  the  shore,  they  squat  down  flat, 
quite  aware  of  the  fact  that  their  protective 
coloring  blends  almost  indistinguishably  with 
the  rocks,  or  they  take  to  the  water,  for  they 
are  perfect  swimmers  from  the  start.  From 


A  YOUNG   TERN   AT  THE   STAGE    WHEN    THEY   LEARN  TO  FLY 


A  TERN'S  KEST  isr  THE  SEAWEED.     EGGS  HATCHING 


The  Common  Tern 


the  downy  little  balls  a  few  days  old  to  those 
able  to  fly,  these  precocious  youngsters  wander 
around  everywhere,  and  the  first  question  of 
the  visitor  is,  "How  can  the  old  terns  find  their 
own  progeny  amid  such  swarms  of  young 
birds?" 

After  one  has  remained  quietly  seated  for 
a  time,  the  colony  life  continues  in  its  usual 
way.  The  birds  soon  alight,  covering  the 
beaches  and  rocks.  Occasionally  small  flocks 
rest  on  the  surface  a  short  distance  from  shore. 
It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  only  near  their 
nesting  sites  do  terns  rest  on  the  water.  Sud- 
denly, all  the  birds  will  take  wing  in  mass,  fly 
out  over  the  ocean,  circle  around  and  presently 
return  to  land.  This  performance  is  repeated 
often  and  without  apparent  cause.  Terns 
travel  many  miles  in  search  of  fish.  Some  are 
constantly  starting  off  empty-billed,  others 
returning,  each  with  a  shiner,  sand  ell,  or  other 
small  fry  in  its  beak.  Against  the  wind  they 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

fly  low;  with  it,  high.  The  food  is  either  fed 
to  the  young,  or  laid  down  for  them  to  pick  up. 
An  adult  will  sometimes  coax  a  young  tern 
that  is  near  you  to  what  it  considers  a  safer 
location  by  walking  backward  with  a  fish  in 
its  bill,  keeping  just  out  of  reach  of  its  hungry 
pursuer. 

When  one  has  watched  their  graceful  turns 
and  darts  as  they  plunge  into  the  ocean,  it  is 
realized  what  an  important  element  the  terns 
are  in  any  seaside  landscape. 


44 


THE    YOUNG  TERNS   FURNISH   A   FINE   EXAMPLE   OF   PROTECTIVE    COLORING 


WHEX    ALARMED   THE    TERX    SQUATS    AMONG    THE    ROCKS,    WHERE    IT    IS 
EASILY    OVERLOOKED 


YELLOW  WARBLERS 

(Dendroica  cestiva) 

THE  summer  range  of  the  yellow 
warbler,  or  wild  canary  as  this  pretty 
songster  is  popularly  known,  extends 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  coasts,  ascend- 
ing in  the  Wasatch  Mountains,  where  the  ac- 
companying photographs  were  taken,  to  an 
elevation  probably  considerably  over  eight 
thousand  feet.  Having  travelled  two  thousand 
miles  or  more  from  our  Eastern  home,  here  we 
have  the  delight  of  meeting  this  bright  yellow 
friend  of  ours,  with  his  duller  mate,  slightly 
streaked  on  the  breast  with  orange.  At  these 
high  altitudes,  the  warblers  usually  start  nest- 
ing about  the  middle  of  June.  I  found  them 
building  in  general  in  the  willows  along  the 

45, 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

streams  at  an  average  height  of  six  feet,  but 
also  found  one  nest  in  a  hillside  bush.  Their 
nests  are  well  constructed  of  bark  shreds,  lined 
with  fine  grasses,  willow  down,  wool,  hair,  and 
feathers.  The  heavy  storms  that  occur  every 
few  days  in  this  region  are  doubtless  responsi- 
ble for  a  good  deal  of  damage,  and  several  of 
the  nests  I  found  were  probably  thus  destroyed. 
The  eggs  are  white,  spotted  with  brown  more 
profusely  around  the  larger  ends,  always  four 
to  the  set. 

I  located  the  first  nest  on  June  18th,  and 
had  no  trouble  in  photographing  the  female, 
as  she  returned  within  a  few  minutes  after  I 
had  set  up  the  camera.  She  was  so  tame  that 
when  I  touched  her  nest  she  came  within  a 
foot  of  my  hand.  She  would  tilt  forward  with 
drooping  wings,  feigning  to  fall,  then  catch 
herself  as  she  dropped  to  another  perch  lower 
down.  Thus  did  she  do  her  best  to  lead  me 
away  from  her  treasures.  At  no  other  nest 

46 


GOOD      SWIMMERS,      THE      TERNS      OFTEX      TAKE      TO      THE      WATER      WHEX 
APPROACHED 


TERNS  RESTING  OX   AND   FLYING  ABOUT  ROCKS   OFF  THEIR   NESTING  SITE 


Yellow  Warblers 


did  I  find  a  warbler  as  free  from  fear  as  this 
one. 

Another  nest,  which  I  found  on  June  20th, 
contained  one  egg;  the  second  egg  was  laid 
the  following  day,  then  a  day  was  skipped,  the 
two  last  eggs  being  laid  on  the  two  days  fol- 
lowing. The  bird  did  not  begin  sitting  until 
the  set  was  complete.  (I  felt  fairly  certain 
with  regard  to  the  time  of  laying  the  eggs, 
though  I  did  not  visit  the  nest  on  the  fifth 
day.) 

When  one  is  in  the  vicinity  of  a  nest  he  is 
soon  made  aware  of  the  fact  by  the  distressed 
peeping  of  the  warblers.  The  male  always 
seems  to  be  on  hand,  and  one  will  frequently 
hear  him  singing  in  the  bushes  near  by.  As 
far  as  observed,  he  does  not  assist  in  incubat- 
ing; but  as  soon  as  the  young  hatch,  he  be- 
comes as  active  as  his  mate  in  procuring  food. 
During  the  first  few  days,  in  fact,  she  is  en- 
gaged in  brooding,  while  he  does  all  the  for- 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

aging.  So  rapidly  do  the  young  warblers 
mature  that  in  seven  days  they  are  fairly  well 
feathered.  When  the  young  in  the  hillside 
bush  were  eight  days  old,  I  decided  to  photo- 
graph them;  but  no  sooner  had  I  touched  the 
nest  than  all  four  youngsters  hopped  out,  and 
fluttered  in  as  many  directions.  Two  days 
later  they  could  fly  well. 


48 


TELLOAV    WARBLER    ENTERING    XEST 


NEST   OF    WARBLER    ABOUT   TWO   FEET   FROM    THE   GROTJXD    IX   A   BUSH 


A  FAMILY  OF  TREE  SWALLOWS 

(Iridoprocne  bicolor) 

THE  tree  swallow  is  one  of  the  many 
birds  that  nest  at  high  altitude  in  the 
Wasatch    Mountains.       The     favorite 
nesting  places  of  these  square-tailed  gleaners 
of  the  air  are  old  sapsuckers'  holes,  and  in 
suitable  clusters  of  mountain  ash  trees,  they 
often  nest  in  colonies  of  several  dozen  pairs. 

The  situation  of  their  nests  puts  a  difficulty 
in  the  way  of  photographing  them.  I  found, 
however,  a  nest  in  an  ash  that  was  close  to  an- 
other ash;  the  accompanying  picture  explains 
the  method  by  which  photographs  were  se- 
cured. Cross  pieces  nailed  one  above  the 
other  furnished  a  ladder  up  the  unoccupied 
tree,  and  a  slab  nailed  at  the  proper  height 
pointing  directly  at  the  nest  hole  served  as  a 

49 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

support  for  the  camera,  which  was  clamped 
on  with  a  universal  clamp.  Although  this  did 
not  bring  the  lens  so  close  to  its  object  as 
could  have  been  desired,  the  arrangement  was 
otherwise  very  convenient. 

This  pair  of  swallows  showed  practically  no 
fear  of  the  camera,  and  while  I  snapped  most 
of  the  pictures  from  below  (using  a  thread), 
they  would  come  and  go  when  I  was  up  chang- 
ing films.  The  old  birds  were  carrying  in 
food  when  this  nest  was  discovered  about  June 
24th.  After  it  had  fed  the  young,  each  bird 
remained  impatiently  waiting  in  the  entrance 
during  the  three  or  four  minutes  that  usually 
elapsed  before  the  arrival  of  its  mate.  Tne 
bird  waiting  always  greeted  its  returning  mate 
with  a  twittering  welcome,  and  then  soared 
forth  immediately  into  the  sky.  The  above 
precaution  may  have  been  for  the  purpose  of 
guarding  the  newly-hatched  young  against  the 
inroads  of  thieving  sapsuckers. 


50 


YELLOW    WARBLER    OX    XEST,    PAXTIXG    FROM    THE    HEAT   OF    THE    SUX 


YOUNG    WARBLERS   EIGHT  DAYS   OLD 


A  Family  of  Tree  Swallows 


About  ten  days  after  the  discovery  of  the 
nest  the  first  signs  of  life  were  heard  from 
within  the  hole,  and  a  few  days  later  the  young 
swallows  appeared  at  the  entrance  looking  in- 
terestedly out  at  the  world.  As  their  doorway 
was  only  large  enough  to  hold  one  at  a  time, 
there  was  a  continual  struggle  for  this  point  of 
vantage.  The  young  must  now  have  been  be- 
tween two  and  three  weeks  old,  judging  from 
the  time  the  nest  was  found,  and  the  old  birds 
no  longer  guarded  the  entrance.  They  usually 
pushed  the  eager  young  back  before  feeding 
them.  They  had  grown  very  irritable  for 
some  reason,  perhaps  from  having  to  hurry  so 
strenuously  for  a  livelihood,  for  they  fought 
each  other  off  when  meeting  at  the  nest,  and 
once  inside  one  frequently  sat  there  malig- 
nantly preventing  its  mate  from  entering. 

Three  weeks  after  discovering  the  nest,  I  en- 
larged the  entrance  in  order  to  remove  and 
photograph  the  young  swallows.  I  was  not 


51 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

surprised  when  the  first  of  the  three  young  in 
this  brood,  slipping  through  my  fingers,  soared 
away  as  if  it  had  flown  for  many  a  month. 
But  my  patience  was  severely  tried  before  I 
succeeded  in  inducing  the  remaining  two  to 
sit  still  long  enough  to  be  photographed.  Just 
as  they  were  well  placed  the  irate  parents, 
darting  down  with  sonorous  whirring  of  wings, 
would  set  them  off  into  another  paroxysm  of 
activity.  Once  having  seen  the  outside  world, 
they  refused  thereafter  to  remain  in  their 
former  home;  but  their  chirps  in  the  tree-tops 
during  following  days  were  evidence  that  they 
did  not  immediately  leave  the  vicinity. 


IN  THE  FOREGROUND  THE  BUSH  WILLOWS  ARE  SEEN  FOLLOWING  A 
WINDING  CREEK.  BEYOND  ARE  THE  ASPEN  TREES  IN  WHICH  THE  TREE 
SWALLOWS,  PARKMAN'S  WRENS,  AND  MANY  OTHER  BIRDS  NEST.  WITHIN 

A    HUNDRED   YARDS   OR   SO   INCLUDED    IN    THIS   PICTURE    WERE    THE    NESTS 
OF     A     YELLOW      WARBLER,     A      HUMMING-BIRD,     AND      NUMEROUS      SAP- 
SUCKERS    AND   TREE    SWALLOWS 


A  SERIES  OF  CROSS  PIECES  FORMED  A  LADDER  UP  TO  THE  SLAB  OK 
WHICH  THE  CAMERA  WAS  CLAMPED.  THIS  BROUGHT  THE  INSTRU- 
MENT WITHIN  ABOUT  SIX  FEET  OF  THE  HOLE  IN  THE  OPPOSITE  TREE 


THE  MOURNING  DOVE 

(Zenaidura  macroura) 

OF  the  thirteen  species  of  the  family 
Columbidse  found  in  North  America 
the  mourning  dove  is  much  the  most 
common  and  widely  distributed.  In  its  deli- 
cate brown  coloring,  graceful  body,  and  taper- 
ing tail  it  resembles  its  larger  relative,  the  now 
extinct  passenger  pigeon.  Because  of  its 
habit  of  nesting  in  isolated  pairs,  as  well  as  its 
natural  wariness,  it  is  able  to  survive  and  flour- 
ish in  populated  regions  where  well  protected, 
often  nesting  within  town  limits.  In  winter 
it  is  more  gregarious,  gathering  in  small  flocks 
and  frequently  feeding  around  farm  houses. 
Its  low  mournful  cooing  lends  enchantment 
to  the  woods  at  evening. 

In  its  selection  of  nesting  sites,  the  doves 

53 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

pick  out  odd  and  various  places,  sometimes 
choosing  the  hollow  top  of  a  broken  tree,  some- 
times a  limb  (rarely  higher  than  twenty  feet), 
or  again  a  low  bush;  still  again  it  may  build 
in  a  brush  heap,  or  on  a  leaning  log,  where 
there  is  sufficient  support.  On  the  log  shown 
in  the  photograph,  a  loose  piece  of  bark  pro- 
vided a  hold  for  the  scanty  framework  of  the 
nest.  At  best,  the  nest  is  a  slight  affair  which 
does  not  hold  together  much  longer  than  is 
necessary.  The  two  white  eggs,  producing 
male  and  female,  are  laid  one  on  the  second 
day  following  the  first,  and  hatch  in  fourteen 
days.  Both  birds  take  turns  at  incubating, 
the  female  sitting  at  night,  the  male  in  the 
daytime.  The  young  thrust  their  bills,  often 
both  at  a  time,  into  that  of  the  parent,  which 
feeds  them  by  regurgitating  the  food  con- 
tained in  its  crop. 

Because  of  its  shyness,  the  mourning  dove 
is  very  difficult  to  photograph.     It  generally 

54 


THE  SWALLOWS  RETURXtO  AT  INTERVALS  OF  FIVE  OR  TEX 
MIXUTES.  FROM  THE  BILL  FULL  OF  INSECTS  SHOWX  HERE 
OXE  MAY  JUDGE  WHAT  A  QUAXTITY  OF  IXSECTS  THE  YOUXG 
COXSUME 


THE     OPEN    BEAK    OF    A    YOUNG    SWALLOW    BEGGING     FOR 
FOOD    MAY   BE    SEEN    WITHIN    THE    HOLE 


The  Mourning  Dove 


deserts  its  eggs  if  one  disturbs  the  surround- 
ings in  the  least,  remains  long,  or  returns 
often.  After  the  young  are  hatched,  however, 
it  is  much  less  apt  to  desert,  although  in  the 
writer's  experience  a  dove  will  never  return  to 
its  nest  while  a  camera  is  near  by. 

Many  previous  attempts  to  photograph 
these  birds  failed  before  the  pictures  here 
shown  were  obtained.  In  this  case,  I  moved 
toward  the  nest  very  gradually,  with  camera 
ready,  placing  it  down  at  frequent  intervals, 
and  acting  all  the  while  as  unostentatiously 
and  unconcerned  as  possible.  Despairing  of 
getting  closer  I  made  the  first  exposure  at 
about  fifteen  feet,  then  another  at  eight,  and 
finally  one  at  four  feet.  Before  the  last  ex- 
posure I  was  forced  to  stand  motionless  behind 
the  camera  for  half  an  hour,  waiting  for  the  sun 
to  shine  full  on  the  bird,  and  the  process  of 
working  up  took,  altogether,  perhaps  two 
hours.  So  slowly  had  I  approached  that  the 

55 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

dove  seemed  hardly  conscious  of  my  presence. 
A  similar  attempt  at  the  same  nest  the  previ- 
ous morning  proved  a  failure,  and  it  was  only 
by  going  at  the  task  in  a  most  leisurely  way 
that  I  was  finally  successful. 


56 


THE  NEST  HOLE  WAS  ENLARGED  AND  THE  YOUNG  REMOVED  IN  ORDER 
TO  PHOTOGRAPH  THEM,  A  DAY  OR  TWO  BEFORE  THEY  WOULD  OTHERWISE 
HAVE  LEFT.  ONE  OF  THE  YOUNG  ESCAPED  AND  THE  REMAINING  TWO 
CAUSED  THE  PHOTOGRAPHER  CONSIDERABLE  DIFFICULTY  BY  REFUSING 
TO  REMAIN  ON  THE  PERCH 


A    BACK    VIEW 


THE  GREAT  HORNED  OWL 

(Bubo  virginianus) 

A  FEW  pieces  of  down  and  some 
feathers  first  drew  my  attention,  and 
when  a  short  search  presently  revealed 
more  feathers  caught  in  the  ragged  edges  of 
a  broken-off  old  oak  tree,  my  expectations 
quickly  mounted.  I  forthwith  aimed  a  few 
handy  sticks  at  the  broken  tree  top,  and  at 
the  second  throw  with  startling  suddenness, 
the  huge  form  and  spreading  wings  of  a  great 
horned  owl  emerged.  Poising  a  moment, 
threateningly,  it  then  swerved  up  and  away, 
disappearing  in  the  woods. 

Thrilling  with  the  discovery  of  the  old  owl's 
nest,  I  accomplished  the  twenty-five  foot  climb 
in  feverish  haste,  a  final  swing  landing  me  in 
a  crotch  looking  down  into  the  hollow  top  of 

57 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

the  tree.  From  the  twenty-inch  cavity  below, 
two  young  owls,  fluffy  white  balls  about 
twelve  days  old,  gazed  back  in  startled  amaze- 
ment. They  had  plainly  been  well  fed,  for  in 
a  circle  around  them  were  strewn  the  remains 
of  five  birds,  a  ground  squirrel  and  part  of  a 
rabbit,  the  birds  including  a  robin,  two  yellow- 
bellied  sapsuckers,  and  two  flickers.  Surely, 
here  was  food  sufficient  at  one  time,  even  for 
hungry  young  owls.  On  my  numerous  visits 
to  the  nest  during  the  three  following  weeks, 
there  was  always  a  surprise  in  the  variety  of 
new  prey  these  ravenous  birds  had  brought 
home.  Song  birds,  rails,  herons,  rodents,  etc., 
in  variety  were  found,  usually  with  the  heads 
eaten  off.  One  long-eared  owl  was  also  found, 
a  testimony  of  cannibalistic  habits. 

Covered  with  white  down,  and  their  eyes 
closed,  with  head,  beak  and  talons  much  out 
of  proportion  to  the  body,  newly  hatched  owls 
are  grotesque  objects.  They  are  fed  at  short 


'58 


SWALLOW    CLEAKING    THE    KEST 


THREE  YOUNG  TREE  SWALLOWS,  AND  AN  ADULT  FLYING.  AFTER  LEAV- 
ING THE  NEST  THEY  ARE  FED  FOR  SEVERAL  WEEKS.  THE  PARENTS  DO 
NOT  ALIGHT,  BARELY  PAUSING  IN  THEIR  FLIGHT  AS  THEY  DELIVER  THE 
FOOD 


The  Great  Horned  Owl 


intervals,  small  bits,  from  the  carcasses  at 
hand,  including  the  feathers,  entrails  and  all. 
On  this  diet  the  young  birds  grow  rapidly,  at- 
taining at  an  age  of  four  weeks  almost  adult 
size,  although  not  yet  fully  feathered.  They 
are  soon  encouraged  to  help  themselves  from 
the  food  available,  and  their  legs,  at  first  very 
weak,  gain  strength  enough  to  support  them. 

While  one  of  the  parents  is  attending  to 
household  duties,  the  other  is  foraging  for 
more  game.  In  the  dead  of  night,  noiselessly, 
like  a  ghost  it  sweeps  along  through  the  trees, 
mercilessly  picking  its  sleeping  victims  from 
their  sheltered  roosts. 

That  these  owls  are  savage  birds  may  be 
learned  by  experience.  With  a  wing  spread 
of  between  four  and  five  feet,  large  and  power- 
ful, dauntless  in  courage,  they  prove  danger- 
ous antagonists  for  the  intruder  who  meddles 
in  their  home  affairs. 

During  some  time  that  I  spent  up  in  the  tree 

59 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

photographing  the  young,  the  old  owls  hooted 
their  chagrin  and  anger  from  near  by.  Grow- 
ing quickly  bolder,  they  presently  flew  into 
trees  closer  at  hand  to  observe  what  was  going 
on  at  their  nest,  sometimes  perching  low  down, 
sometimes  in  the  very  tiptop  of  the  neighbor- 
ing pines.  Their  long  doleful  hooting,  inter- 
spersed with  subdued  cries  or  an  occasional 
grunt,  was  accompanied  by  the  ruffling  of 
their  feathers  and  the  snapping  of  beaks,  for 
this  is  their  way  of  showing  anger.  When 
hooting  they  looked  straight  ahead,  apparently 
giving  their  entire  attention  to  the  operation, 
and  their  white  chin  patches  seemed  to  expand, 
presenting  a  very  peculiar  appearance. 

I  was  placing  my  subjects  for  a  last  picture, 
when  suddenly  prompted  to  look  up,  I  beheld 
one  of  the  old  birds  only  a  few  yards  off  sail- 
ing directly  toward  me.  But  instead  of  at- 
tacking me  as  it  probably  first  intended,  it 
alighted  on  a  limb  within  a  distance  of  six  feet. 


60 


MOURNING    DOVE    ON    NEST  ON    A   SLOPING   LOG.       THE    JAGGED   PIECE    OF 
BARK    AFFORDS    SUFFICIENT    HOLD    FOR   THE    NEST 


MOURNING    DOVE  S    NEST    IK    THE    SHOOTS    AT    THE    BASE    OF    A    LEANING 
TREE 


The  Great  Horned  Owl 


There  it  perched,  almost  within  arm's  reach, 
long  ears  erect,  the  powerful  talons  of  its  stout, 
feathered  legs  gripping  and  contracting  with 
readiness  for  action,  the  large,  relentless  eyes 
fixing  me  with  deadly  intentness.  The  camera 
was  unfortunately  tied  in  place  for  photo- 
graphing the  nest,  and  as  it  was  thus  out  of 
commission  for  the  occasion  I  had  to  sit  astride 
a  limb,  content  to  observe  and  wait.  A  hostile 
move  toward  the  young  would  have  invited 
vengeance,  but  no  further  provocation  being 
offered,  the  bird  presently  glided  away. 

This  close  introduction  apparently  lessening 
the  awe  in  which  it  had  held  its  visitor,  it  now 
perched  still  nearer  and  was  presently  joined 
by  its  mate,  both  sitting  statue-like  side  by 
side  only  a  few  yards  away.  Having  obtained 
satisfactory  photographs,  I  was  now  ready  to 
descend.  I  was  about  half  way  down  when 
something  struck  me  a  blow  just  behind  the 
right  ear,  nearly  breaking  my  grip.  I  was  so 

61 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

dazed  by  the  stunning  force  of  the  blow  that 
it  was  a  moment  before  I  could  realize  what 
had  hit  me.  Hardly  had  I  recovered  my  hold, 
when  another  similar  blow  caught  me  on  the 
left  cheek,  leaving  a  good-sized  gash  beneath 
the  eye,  and  when  I  finally  reached  terra  firma 
I  was  in  a  very  cut-up  and  bleeding  condition. 
A  visit  to  the  nest  the  following  day  found 
the  owls  on  hand  anticipating  trouble,  and  per- 
ceptibly more  ready  for  a  duel  after  the  previ- 
ous encounter.  On  the  other  hand,  I  also  was 
on  the  alert,  prepared  to  protect  myself 
against  emergency.  Climbing  to  and  from 
the  nest  proved  most  hazardous,  as  the  owls 
seemed  to  fully  realize  my  awkward  position, 
and  therefore  took  this  act  to  be  the  signal  for 
attack.  During  my  short  observation  of  the 
nest,  the  birds  hooted  and  snapped  loudly,  and 
as  I  started  down  one  of  them  launched  out 
for  me.  In  a  long  swift  swoop  on  horizontal 
pinions,  it  came  on  down,  the  great  yellow  eyes 


THE   YOUNG  MOURNING  DOVE  SHOWS  LESS  DISTINCT  SPOTS  ON  THE  WING 


THE    GREAT    HORNED    OWL   LEAVING   ITS    NEST  IN   THE    HOLLOW    TOP   OF   AN 
OAK 


The  Great  Horned  Owl 


holding  me  with  a  sinister  intensity,  ominous 
of  impending  impact.  The  next  instant,  hug- 
ging close  to  the  tree,  I  swung  up  an  arm  as 
if  to  strike,  simultaneously  ducking.  Checked 
by  this  feint  the  owl  passed,  missing  its 
aim  by  a  few  inches,  and  before  its  mate  could 
follow  up  the  opportunity,  I  slipped  to  the 
ground.  Quick  action  was  necessary,  for  as 
one  bird  came  from  one  direction,  the  other 
would  follow  up  the  attack  closely  from  the 
opposite  side. 

The  blow,  in  every  case  aimed  at  the  head, 
caused  a  curious,  numbing  sensation;  the  bird 
seemed  to  strike  in  full  collision,  yet  at  the 
same  time  to  pass.  While  the  main  force  of 
the  stroke  came,  apparently,  from  the  beak, 
the  claws  left  their  deep,  unmistakable  fur- 
rows in  the  flesh.  It  was  indeed  necessary 
to  keep  an  unremitting  watch  when  in  proxim- 
ity to  the  nest,  as  the  least  laxity  of  vigilance 
was  sure  to  result  unpleasantly.  The  owls' 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

eyesight,  contrary  to  popular  opinion,  is  suffi- 
ciently keen  even  in  bright  sunlight,  and  the 
sagacity  with  which  the  birds  would  time  and 
consummate  their  attacks  merits  admiration. 

One  other  incident  of  the  day  was  of  par- 
ticular interest.  One  of  the  owls  was  perched 
in  the  tiptop  of  a  pine  watching  me  jealously 
as  I  handled  the  young.  Suddenly  a  body 
shot  downward  out  of  the  sky,  swerving  past 
the  owl's  head  at  such  terrific  velocity  as  to 
produce  a  sound  like  a  small  clap  of  thunder. 
It  was  an  uneasy  glance  the  wise  old  bird  cast 
upward,  as  it  apprehended  the  swoop  of  the 
cooper  hawk  just  in  time  to  prevent  being 
struck.  The  hawk  evidently  had  perceived 
the  owl's  unwonted  preoccupation,  and  had 
been  tempted  to  startle  it,  probably  an  unusual 
occurrence  in  the  life  of  these  birds. 


THE    YOUNG    OWLS    ABOUT    TEN    DAYS    OLD,    SHOWING    THE    NEST    STREWN 
WITH    A   VARIETY   OF  GAME 


YOUNG    HORNED    OWLS    ABOUT    TWO    WEEKS    OLD,    STILL    IN    THE    DOWNY 
STAGE 


A  KINGBIRD  FAMILY 

(Tyrannus  tyrannus) 

KINGBIRDS,  members  of  the  fly- 
catcher family,  are  truly  kings  among 
birds,  for  they  will  fearlessly  attack 
anything  on  the  wing  that  happens  along,  and 
may  be  counted  on  to  come  out  the  better.  It 
must  be  said  that  they  will  also  occasionally 
pounce  upon  smaller  birds,  striking  them  to  the 
ground,  though  only  rarely  and  when  espe- 
cially provoked.  Kingbirds  lay  their  eggs 
late  in  the  season,  the  young  often  not  leaving 
the  nest  before  the  middle  of  August  when 
the  insects  that  form  their  diet  are  most  plenti- 
ful. At  this  period  large  grasshoppers, 
dragon  flies,  etc.,  often  still  alive,  are  pushed 
whole  into  the  gaping  beaks  of  the  hungry 
youngsters.  In  securing  their  food,  these 

65 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

birds  simply  have  to  wait,  for  the  most  part  on 
their  observation  perches,  from  which  they 
dart  out  at  short  intervals  for  the  insects  that 
float  by  in  the  air.  They  seldom  stray  far 
from  the  nest,  therefore,  and  are  always  on 
hand  to  question  any  intruder. 

While  the  writer  was  photographing  a  fam- 
ily of  these  birds,  they  would  repeatedly  dart 
down  past  his  head,  giving  resounding  snaps 
with  their  beaks.  Their  graceful  and  dexter- 
ous sallies  after  insects  furnished  a  sight  worth 
seeing.  They  would  suddenly  dart  out  in  a 
long  curve,  and  a  loud  snap  of  the  beak,  sig- 
nifying the  capture  of  an  insect,  would  be  fol- 
lowed by  a  continuous  glide  on  and  up  to  an- 
other perch;  or  perhaps  turning  a  complete 
somersault  they  would  return  to  their  original 
station.  Long  dashes  of  fifty  yards  or  more 
were  frequent,  and  rarely  did  the  luckless  insect 
escape.  Sometimes  in  pursuing  a  fugitive  fly 
they  performed  several  rapid  revolutions  with- 


66 


AT  THE  AGE   OF  THREE   WEEKS  THE  YOUNG  OWLS  ARE   MORE   LIVELY  AND 
RESENT   INTRUSION    BY    HISSING   AND   PUFriNG   OUT   THEIR    FEATHERS 


AFTER    THEY    ARE     FOUR    WEEKS    OLD    THE    YOUNG    OWLS    FEATHER    OUT 
RAPIDLY 


A  Kingbird  Family 


in  the  radius  of  a  foot.  Hours  quickly  passed, 
indeed,  while  one  was  engrossed  in  watching 
the  aerial  manoeuvres  of  these  expert  flyers. 

The  old  birds  repeatedly  tried  to  entice  their 
offspring  away  from  the  perch  on  which  they 
were  placed  for  photographing.  With  a 
choice  morsel  in  its  beak,  the  parent  would 
hover  just  behind  the  young,  approaching  and 
retreating  in  its  efforts  to  coax  its  progeny  to 
a  safer  location;  and  without  dropping  the 
morsel  from  its  beak  it  argued  and  called  per- 
sistently. In  this  endeavor,  it  was  frequently 
successful  to  the  annoyance  of  the  photo- 
grapher, whose  patience  and  perseverance 
were  otherwise  sufficiently  tried. 

To  secure  bird  pictures,  the  naturalist  often 
must  spend  many  tedious  hours  in  gaining  the 
confidence  of  his  subjects,  but  once  they  begin 
to  overcome  their  original  shyness  it  becomes 
a  question  of  dexterity  in  snapping  the  re- 
quired poses.  These  preliminary  hours  of  pa- 

67 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

tience  should  be  profitably  employed  in  study- 
ing the  characteristics  of  the  species,  for  with- 
out knowing  the  birds,  one  can  not  hope  to 
have  his  pictures  tell  accurately  a  part  of  their 
life  history.  Lying  concealed  in  the  tall  grass 
about  thirty  feet  distant,  the  writer  Was  able  to 
make  many  interesting  observations,  the  cam- 
era eventually  verifying  many  of  them  in  an 
invaluable  way. 

It  was  several  days  before  really  satisfac- 
tory pictures  of  this  kingbird  family  were  ob- 
tained, but  gradually  the  birds  became  accus- 
tomed to  the  camera,  until  the  writer  was  able 
(by  means  of  a  thread)  to  snap  as  many  pic- 
tures as  he  desired.  Yet  the  birds  continued 
to  regard  the  camera  with  distrust,  and  never 
failed  to  greet  the  appearance  of  the  visitor 
with  clamorous  demonstrations  suggestive  of 
anything  but  welcome. 


68 


DRAGON  FLIES,  LARGE  GRASSHOPPERS,  ETC.,  OFTEN  STILL  ALIVE,  ARE 
THRUST  WHOLE  WELL  DOWN  THE  THROATS  OF  THE  HUNGRY  YOUNG 
KINGBIRDS 


KINGBIRD  FEEDING  YOUNG.  NOTE  THE  HORIZONTAL  POSITION  OF  THE 
BIRDS.  THE  HEAD  OF  THE  ADULT  IS  TURNED  AT  AN  ANGLE  AT  WHICH 
IT  CAN  MOST  EASILY  THRUST  THE  FOOD  DOWN  THE  THROAT  OF  THE 
YOUNG 


NOTES  FROM  THE  INDIANA  SAND 
DUNES 

IT  was  the  latter  part  of  February,  and 
the  sun  was  near  setting,  when  a  deluge 
of  snow  flakes  sent  me  crawling  into  my 
"pup"  tent.     Tucked  under  blankets  a-plenty, 
I  was  soon  dozing  off  into  the  Happy  Hunt- 
ing Grounds  of  the  ornithologist,  for  I  was 
now  encamped  on  the  southern  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan,  for  the  purpose  of  studying  the  bird 
life  of  this  region. 

The  extended  tract  of  sandy  hills  bordering 
the  lake,  with  their  plentiful  growth  of  decidu- 
ous and  coniferous  trees,  is  a  stopping-off 
place  for  many  migrating  birds.  Always  the 
forerunners  of  spring,  the  geese  arrived  late 
in  February,  and  remained  for  several  weeks, 
flying  inland  at  night  and  out  into  the  lake  in 


69 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

the  day.  Flocks  might  be  seen  at  almost  any 
time  floating  a  few  yards  off  shore.  On 
March  2nd,  crows  appeared  in  large  numbers 
flying  eastward  along  the  lake  front,  and  in  a 
somewhat  fluctuating  stream  they  continued 
to  fly  by  day  after  day,  chiefly  in  the  morning, 
for  the  rest  of  the  month.  The  migratory 
movement  seemed  to  be  about  over  by  April 
1st.  Some  winter  resident  crows  had  a  favor- 
ite perch  in  the  rear  of  my  camp,  which  they 
occupied  at  frequent  intervals  with  an  eye  to 
seconding  a  pair  of  friendly  red  squirrels  in  a 
camp  raid.  This  afforded  me  an  unusual  op- 
portunity of  meditating  on  the  profundity  of 
the  crow  language,  particularly  in  the  very 
early  morning.  The  caw  note  alone  is  ency- 
clopedic in  expressiveness,  but  there  are  count- 
less other  distinct  sounds,  endless  subtle  under- 
tones and  accentuations  included  in  the  crow's 
dialect. 

One  morning  I  walked  around  to  a  broken- 

70 


THE    PARENT    KINGBIRD    THRUSTS    THE    FOOD    DOWN    FORCEFULLY    TO    IN- 
SURE   AGAINST    ITS    BEING    DROPPED 


AFTER    FEEDING    THE    YOUNG,    THE    PARENT    KINGBIRD    CAREFULLY   WIPES 
ITS    BEAK 


Notes  from  the  Indiana  Sand  Dimes 

off  oak,  which  had  been  occupied  two  seasons 
before  by  a  pair  of  great  horned  owls,  and  to 
my  delight  found  its  hollow  top  again  in  use, 
possibly  by  the  same  pair  of  birds.  For  these 
owls  (which  may  remain  paired  for  life)  often 
frequent  a  chosen  locality  for  many  years. 
The  nest,  containing  on  the  present  occasion 
two  soiled  white  eggs,  was  lined  with  snow. 
Just  about  the  time  the  first  bluebirds'  notes 
herald  the  approach  of  spring,  young  horned 
owls  are  hatching.  The  other  night  a  horned 
owl  began  hooting  no  farther  away  than  ten 
yards.  Very  soft  it  was,  yet  laden  with  the 
tragedy  of  countless  lives  that  had  called  forth 
from  the  veiling  darkness  of  night,  as  they 
awoke  to  find  themselves  in  the  monster's 
clutch.  I  listened  to  the  hooting  repeated 
every  few  seconds,  and  between  each  hoot  the 
sobbing  gasp  of  some  small  creature  nearing 
its  end,  those  talons  sinking  deeper  into  the 
victim's  flesh  in  every  interval,  pressing  forth 

71 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

another  gasp,  at  last,  a  choking  cry.  The 
amazing  range  of  noises  which  these  owls  are 
capable  of  emitting  is  not  generally  known. 
On  rare  occasions,  when  my  presence  near 
their  nest  has  aroused  their  ire,  I  have  been 
treated  to  a  recital  of  variations  in  hooting, 
grunting,  and  muffled  mutterings,  punctuated 
by  a  frequent  snapping  of  beaks,  which  com- 
bined to  produce  an  effect  altogether  startling 
and  gruesome, — far  beyond  description. 

March  2nd,  I  also  heard  the  first  bluebirds' 
notes  conveying  their  authoritative  message  on 
the  south  winds.  In  small  groups  or  pairs 
they  passed  during  the  following  days,  flutter- 
ing high  in  the  air,  when  they  struck  the  lake, 
as  if  getting  their  bearings,  and  then  generally 
turning  westward  as  they  proceeded  on  their 
journey.  They  were  still  passing  during  the 
early  days  of  May,  but  at  this  late  date  were 
probably  simply  wandering  over  the  general 
section  in  which  they  intended  to  settle.  With- 


KINGBIRD    READY    TO    LEAVE 


EVIDENCE    OF    THEIR    DOWNY    STAGE    REMAINS    SOME    TIME    AFTER    THE 
YOUNG  KINGBIRDS  ARE    WELL  FEATHERED 


Notes  from  the  Indiana  Sand  Dunes 

in  a  few  days  meadow  larks  were  heard,  then 
killdeer,  and  finally  one  morning  I  was  awak- 
ened by  the  familiar  chirps  of  robins.  Once, 
when  I  was  returning  to  camp  with  firewood, 
I  surprised  a  gray  fox  trotting  directly  toward 
me.  He  disappeared  fleetly  over  the  knoll  he 
had  just  passed,  but  a  party  of  crows,  which 
took  the  matter  up,  told  me  very  plainly  that 
he  was  making  a  detour  along  the  side  of  the 
next  large  dune,  and  probably  observing  me 
the  while. 

It  was  maple  sugar  time,  for  the  sapsuckers 
had  been  at  work  on  every  hand.  Small  holes 
a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter  and  of  about 
equal  depth  were  drilled  in  rings  encircling  the 
trees  or  scattered  irregularly  from  the  roots 
upward.  Presently  I  discovered  the  "sap- 
bird"  going  the  rounds  of  his  grove,  gathering 
the  sap  and  also  the  insects  which  had  collected. 
Within  a  few  weeks  a  bright  vermillion  mold 
formed  where  the  sap  had  streamed  down  the 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

trunks,  and  the  trees  looked  as  if  they  had  been 
daubed  with  red  paint.  As  I  was  about  to 
move  on  a  low  clucking  behind  announced  the 
approach  of  a  ruffed  grouse,  and  I  turned  my 
head  slowly  to  observe  him  out  of  the  corner 
of  my  eye.  He  was  not  alarmed  at  my  mo- 
tionless figure,  but  somewhat  disturbed  and 
curious.  He  took  a  few  steps  forward,  while 
his  mate  some  paces  behind  clucked  warningly ; 
then  a  few  more  steps  forward,  a  hasty  retreat, 
another  advance;  but  finally  deciding  on  the 
safe  course,  he  returned  over  the  hill.  During 
this,  the  drumming  season,  grouse  are  to  be 
found  along  streams  "budding"  in  the  willow 
trees.  Slate-colored  birds  flashed  their  white 
outer  tail  feathers  and  followed  me  through  the 
woods  with  their  sucking  intonations.  Some 
of  them  would  nest  in  the  dunes,  others  in  the 
far  northern  lands  of  Labrador  and  Alaska. 
The  crows  were  wasting  a  lot  of  time  badger- 
ing their  ancient  enemy,  for  they  never  do 


A    GOOD    PORTRAIT    OF    AN    ADULT    KINGBIRD 


THE     CATBIRD    IS    ONE     OF    THE     FINEST    SONGSTERS,    RIVALING    EVEN    THE 
MOCKING-BIRD  IN  THE  EXTENT  OF   ITS  REPERTOIRE 


Notes  from  the  Indiana  Sand  Dunes 

overlook  an  opportunity  to  rain  down  retribu- 
tion on  the  heads  that  doubtless  cause  them 
much  anxiety  at  night.  A  red-tailed  hawk 
departed  before  me  from  the  remains  of  a  cot- 
ton-tail, but  a  pellet  convicted  Bubo  Virgin- 
ianus. 

The  morning  of  April  19th,  I  set  out  with 
the  intention  of  finding  at  least  a  crow's  nest. 
A  dense  growth  of  pine  bordering  some 
swampy  meadows  offered  promise.  Red- 
headed woodpeckers,  their  heads  bobbing  out 
comically  from  behind  sheltering  limbs,  ut- 
tered their  rattling  disapproval  of  my  intrud- 
ing presence.  A  junco  that  lighted  on  a 
chosen  tree  drew  forth  the  same  call.  At  the 
appearance  of  a  marsh  hawk,  the  red-heads  re- 
peated their  challenge,  while  the  junco 
dropped  into  a  bush  like  a  stone,  and  remained 
as  still  until  I  began  to  doubt  that  I  was  re- 
garding an  animate  object.  Presently,  a  song 
from  a  neighboring  thicket  brought  it  back  to 

75 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

life,  and  the  hush  of  suspense  was  dispelled  by 
a  general  outburst  of  carefree  song.  Surely, 
"in  Nature  danger  passes  like  the  shadow  of 
a  fleeting  cloud;  no  sooner  is  it  past  than  it  is 
forgotten."  Blue  jays  have  an  interesting 
habit  of  imitating  hawks,  which  one  might  sur- 
mise arises  from  a  mischievous  desire  to  startle 
other  birds.  As  I  was  picking  my  way 
through  the  marsh  from  one  dry  clump  to  an- 
other, a  crow  suddenly  bursting  out  vindic- 
tively aroused  my  suspicion.  For  a  moment 
before  I  had  seen  the  wily  bird  departing 
through  the  timber  some  distance  ahead.  Its 
present  outburst  was  clearly  intended  to  con- 
vey the  false  impression  that  it  had  just  dis- 
covered me.  As  wily  as  the  crow,  I  passed 
its  nest  without  an  upward  glance,  but  the 
crafty  bird  followed  me  stealthily  for  some 
distance.  A  few  hundred  yards  farther  on,  a 
cushion  of  pine  needles  under  a  fine  pine  of- 
fered an  invitation  to  rest.  I  was  slipping 


76 


Notes  from  the  Indiana  Sand  Dimes 

off  my  pack,  when  something  a  few  yards 
overhead  drew  my  attention,  and  looking  up 
I  discovered  a  long-eared  owl  staring  down  at 
me  intently.  Silently  he  glided  away  into  the 
swamp  underbrush.  A  glance  at  the  ground 
strewn  with  pellets  told  me  this  was  one  of  his. 
regular  perches.  My  eye  fell  on  a  seedy-look- 
ing crow's  nest,  situated  in  the  top  of  a  half 
fallen  tree,  which  on  the  face  of  things  was 
long  since  abandoned  by  its  original  owners. 
It  did  not  deserve  a  second  glance,  but  the 
ends  of  a  pair  of  diverging  sticks  projecting 
above  the  rim,  somehow  riveted  my  attention. 
Irresistibly  my  eye  returned  again  and  again 
to  the  leaning  tree.  Surely  such  a  ramshackle 
affair  without  a  leaf  to  shelter  it  would  not  be 
selected  as  an  abode  by  any  bird.  Still  by 
tossing  up  a  stick  the  matter  could  be  easily 
settled. 

A  long-eared  owl  slipped  off  and  glided 
after  its  mate  into  the   swamp  underbrush. 


77 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

Exposed  to  heaven  and  earth,  safe  in  its  very 
conspicuousness,  the  long-eared  owl  sits  aloft 
on  its  eggs,  while  its  mate  secluded  amid  dense 
pine  bows  a  few  yards  off  keeps  guard.  For 
there  are  many  sharp  eyes  in  the  woods,  among 
them  the  ever  prying  ones  of  those  unendur- 
able crows.  At  any  time  it  may  be  necessary 
to  divert  and  lead  elsewhere  some  inquisitive 
visitor ;  so  during  the  day  the  mate  in  the  pine 
is  ever  ready  in  an  emergency.  I  have  known 
a  horned  owl  to  kill  and  feed  to  its  young  a 
long-eared  owl,  so  that  the  anxiety  of  a  con- 
stant watchfulness  has  to  be  continued  even 
at  night.  Long-eared  owls  are  very  beneficial 
birds,  feeding  as  they  do  largely  on  rodents. 
They  are  rather  active  during  the  day,  often 
being  found  on  the  ground  hunting  mice. 

It  was  one  of  those  supremely  calm  morn- 
ings. Through  the  mist  rising  slowly  over  the 
lake  came  the  wild  laugh  of  a  loon.  Pres- 
ently, his  form  emerged  into  view;  then  he 


78 


A     YOUNG     WOOD     THRUSH     JUST    AFTER     LEAVING     THE     NEST.       THE     YOUNG 
THRUSH    RESEMBLES    THE    YOUNG    ROBIN,    TO    WHICH    IT    IS    CLOSELY    RELATED 


Notes  from  the  Indiana  Sand  Dunes 

sank,  without  a  ripple,  without  an  effort. 
Watching  carefully,  I  soon  saw  his  head  reap- 
pear, then  gradually  his  back,  and  now  again 
that  wild  laugh.  Far  in  the  distance,  like  a  faint 
echo,  an  answering  call  floated  back.  A 
gull  near  by  burst  out  hilariously.  In  the  calm 
of  the  morning  every  bird  seemed  to  laugh 
forth  its  call,  and  I  responded  inwardly  in 
perfect  accord. 

Turning  inland  I  followed  a  pine-scented 
trail  to  a  reedy  marsh ;  red-wings  were  swing- 
ing and  singing  on  the  cat-o' -nine-tails ;  a  bit- 
tern pumped;  in  the  distance  a  marsh-hawk 
sailed  low  over  the  meadows,  circling,  criss- 
crossing, its  white  rump  flashing  in  the  sun. 
It  repeated  frequently  its  low  cry  (not  so 
forceful  as  that  of  the  red-shouldered  hawk), 
and  occasionally  a  low  chucking  call.  Sud- 
denly, it  dropped  into  the  tall  grass  after  a 
lizard,  frog,  snake,  or  mouse,  which  constitute 
its  staple  food.  It  also  occasionally  captures 

79 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

birds,  even  rabbits,  but  altogether  does  much 
more  good  than  harm.  As  it  was  now  June, 
somewhere  in  or  about  the  marsh  in  a  dry  tuft 
of  grass,  which  was  merely  matted  down  to 
form  a  nest,  the  mate  of  the  hawk  observed 
was  sitting  on  her  usual  complement  of  four 
to  six  bluish  eggs. 

Red-headed  woodpeckers  are  plentiful  in 
the  dunes  the  year  round,  their  numbers  being 
augmented  in  the  fall,  when  they  congregate 
here  to  feed  on  the  abundant  crop  of  acorns. 
Their  low-pitched  resonant  "querl"  rings  out 
to  an  accompaniment  of  rapping,  and  their 
frolicking  manoeuvres  give  a  lively  tone  to  the 
landscape.  Dropping  into  an  oak  top,  one 
will  hang  upside  down  onto  a  sagging  bough, 
while  securing  an  acorn,  which  it  takes  to  a 
neighboring  stump,  wedges  into  the  bark,  and 
then  pecks  at  leisure.  While  thus  engaged, 
it  squeals  persistently,  as  if  challenging  others 
to  pursue  it,  and  this  they  eagerly  do,  the  pur- 


80 


WESTERN    CHIPPING    SPARROW    SETTLING    ON    NEST 


WESTERN    CHIPPING    SPARROW   ENTERING    NEST 


Notes  from  the  Indiana  Sand  Dunes 

sued  circling  back  through  the  midst  of  its 
pursuers,  if  they  show  any  signs  of  lagging.  I 
have  seen  them  clash  and  fall  to  the  ground  in 
a  rather  serious  encounter.  The  adults  with 
their  bright  red  heads  seem  just  as  youthful 
in  spirits  as  the  brown-headed  young,  and  alto- 
gether they  are  the  most  jolly  lot  of  play- 
fellows imaginable.  A  marsh-hawk  sailing  in 
among  them  evidently  causes  little  apprehen- 
sion; they  dodge  at  a  pinch,  but  the  hawk  is 
not  out  of  sight  before  they  are  as  noisy  as 
ever. 


81 


PHOTOGRAPHING  BIRDS 

TO     be     successful     in     photographing 
birds,   the  first  requirement  is   a  love 
for   birds.      In   addition   some   photo- 
graphic ability  and  considerable  patience  are 
needed.     A  plate  camera,  the  Premo  No.  9, 
was  used  in  securing  most  of  the  accompany- 
ing photographs.     For   some   phases   of  the 
work  a  reflex  camera  is  of  great  advantage. 

The  photographer  proceeds  in  the  taking  of 
his  bird  pictures  largely  according  to  the  par- 
ticular circumstances  which  confront  him.  He 
may  set  out  to  get  the  game  on  the  nest,  at 
the  feeding  ground,  resting  on  a  bough,  or 
flying.  Generally,  the  easiest  photograph  is 
obtained  at  the  nest.  Begin  with  the  nests 
near  the  ground,  where  the  tripod  can  be  used. 
Set  the  camera  up  within  three  or  four  feet 
of  the  nest,  preferably  just  before  the  time  for 


NEST    OF     LEAST    FLYCATCHER.       A    LARGE    AMOUNT    OF    PAPER    IS 
WOVEN    INTO   IT 


LEAST    FLYCATCHER    SHOWING    THE     FEATHERS    ON     THE     HEAD    ELE- 
VATED   IX    THE    FORM    OF    A    CREST 


LEAST    FLYCATCHER   AT   NEST.       IX    THIS   PHOTOGRAPH    THE   BIRD 
APPEARS   WITHOUT  A   TRACE    OF   A    CREST 


YOUNG  MARSH    HAWKS 


Photographing  Birds 


the  eggs  to  hatch.  If,  as  most  often  happens, 
the  old  bird  is  frightened  away  from  the  nest 
during  the  process,  a  thread  is  attached  so  that 
the  picture  may  be  snapped  from  a  distance 
of  twenty  or  thirty  feet  or  more.  A  few 
leaves  placed  so  as  to  conceal  the  camera  as 
much  as  possible  may  be  necessary,  when  the 
birds  are  timid.  The  camera  all  set,  the  next 
thing  is  to  find  concealment  in  tall  grass  or 
behind  a  bush,  from  where  the  nest  may  be 
viewed  and  the  thread  pulled.  The  old  bird 
is  very  reluctant  to  leave  the  eggs  exposed 
during  the  period  of  a  few  days  preceding  the 
hatching,  and  at  this  crucial  time  will  seldom 
cause  one  to  wait  long  before  she  overcomes 
her  fear  and  returns.  The  various  poses  of 
the  bird  as  it  alights  at  the  nest,  inspects  the 
eggs,  and,  finally,  tucking  them  skillfully 
under  her,  settles  down  to  brood,  offer  oppor- 
tunities for  a  series  of  photographs,  valuable 
both  from  artistic  and  scientific  standpoints. 


83 


Familiar  Studies  of  Wild  Birds 

The  different  degrees  of  timidness  in  species, 
as  well  as  among  individual  birds  draw  on  all 
the  ingenuity  one  may  have.  There  are  cer- 
tain localities  that  offer  abundant  possibilities 
in  the  bird  field  of  photography.  A  lake  with 
a  reedy  marsh  adjoining  furnishes  the  most 
excellent  grounds  for  water  birds,  which  are 
found  nesting  in  such  places  in  surprising 
numbers.  Many  of  these  species  construct  a 
floating  nest  of  sticks  and  other  debris,  or 
place  their  nest  on  small  clumps  of  earth. 
Others  build  in  the  rushes.  Various  species  of 
blackbirds,  rail,  coot,  bittern,  the  black  tern, 
and  others  of  the  water  fowl,  may  be  found  in 
early  spring  in  domestic  occupations  within  a 
short  radius.  The  reflex  camera  can  be  used 
here  with  most  success,  and  in  catching  the 
birds  on  the  wing  they  are  indispensable. 

Bird  pictures  may  also  be  taken  successfully 
with  a  telephoto  lens.  Where  it  is  possible, 
however,  to  get  within  close  range,  the  results 


A    BROWN    THRASHER    WHOSE    ANXIETY    FOR    HER    YOUNG    FAMILY    HAS    OVER- 
COME   HER    NATURAL   SHYNESS 


THE  MAOPIE  IS  A  SCAVENGER  AND  GATHERS  IN  LARGE  NUMBERS  TO  FEED 
AROUND  SMALL  SLAUGHTER-HOUSES  IN  CERTAIN  PARTS  OF  THE  WEST. 
IT  IS  ABUNDANT  IN  THE  LARGER  VALLEYS  OF  UTAH,  BEING  SCATTERED 
MORE  SPARINGLY  IN  THE  FOOTHILLS 


Photographing  Birds 


are  generally  more  satisfactory,  as  there  are 
numerous  difficulties  attending  the  hunting  of 
birds  with  a  telephoto  outfit. 

When  the  young  are  hatched,  making  pic- 
tures of  various  phases  of  their  bringing  up, 
the  feeding,  etc.,  is  the  most  interesting  of 
pastimes.  An  amount  of  patience  and  skill 
may  be  required  to  secure  pictures  with  the 
birds  in  natural  attitudes  and  free  from  alarm. 
By  working  with  one  nest  day  after  day,  and 
following  up  developments,  gradually  getting 
the  birds  accustomed  to  the  camera,  friendly 
relations,  with  profitable  results  to  the  photog- 
rapher, may  be  established. 


85 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 

AN     INITIAL     FINE     OF     25      CENTS 

WILL  BE  ASSESSED  FOR  FAILURE  TO  RETURN 
THIS  BOOK  ON  THE  DATE  DUE.  THE  PENALTY 
WILL  INCREASE  TO  SO  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY  AND  TO  $I.OO  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 


30  J933 

*  m; 

FFR   2*  1936 
MAY    17 


LD  21-50m-8,-33 


^53150 


BIOLOGY 
LIBRAR- 

4     G 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


